Hide or delete, per rule
Each rule does exactly what you want with a match: hide it, or remove it for good.
On this page
Before you start
- Hide is reversible. Delete is not.
- The action is set per rule.
- The Bin keeps the record either way.
Find Hide or Delete on a rule.
Hide or Delete, at the end of each rule row
You will see Each rule shows what it will do.
Choose Hide for anything you might want back.
Hide, on the rules you want reversible
You will see Matches arrive hidden, and Unhide brings them back.
Choose Delete only for the obvious.
Delete, on the rules where nothing is worth keeping
You will see Matches go, and the Bin keeps the record.
If something is off
- I set Delete and want it back
- Deleted comments cannot come back; switch the rule to Hide.
- Deleting is failing on some comments
- Meta refuses some deletions; the row keeps the reason.
- I want different actions for different pages
- The action belongs to the rule on that page.
- Everything is being deleted
- Set the rules back to Hide, one row at a time, and save.
Common questions
Does the person know when their comment is hidden?
No. A hidden comment stays visible to its author and their friends and disappears for everyone else, and neither Facebook nor Instagram tells the person. Deleting is different: it removes the comment from the platform and the author can see it is gone.
Can I undo a hide later?
Yes. Hide can be undone at any time: matches arrive hidden, greyed in the inbox with the rule named, and Unhide brings them back. Delete cannot be undone, on either platform, by anyone.
Where do deleted comments go?
Deleted comments are removed from the post and listed in the Bin in the inbox, with the rule that deleted them, so the record stays even though the comment itself cannot be recovered.
What does a rule do by default when it matches?
It hides. Hide is the safe default, and every rule except Hide all comments carries its own Hide and Delete choice at the end of its row on the Moderation tab.
For agents: plain text of this guide · all guides
For agents
Guide: Hide or delete, per rule
This page: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-or-delete-per-rule
Topic: Moderation rules
Time: about 3 minutes
Who can do it: Owner, Administrator or Manager
Author: https://anantgupta.xyz (Anant Gupta, founder of CommentWatchDog)
Start in the app: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox
Result when done: Each rule does exactly what you want with a match: hide it, or remove it for good.
Context: Hiding and deleting are not the same decision. Hiding is reversible and quiet. Deleting is permanent and visible to the person who wrote the comment. You choose per rule, so spam can go and criticism can merely be hidden.
Before you start
1. Hide is the safe default and can be undone at any time.
2. Delete cannot be undone, on either platform, by anyone.
3. You choose per rule: every rule except Hide all comments carries its own Hide or Delete.
Steps
Step 1 of 3: Find Hide or Delete on a rule.
Where: On the Moderation tab, at the end of each rule row: two buttons, Hide and Delete. On a phone they sit under the rule name. The choice is kept while a rule is off, so switching it back on does what it did before. Hide all comments has no such choice; it only hides. Save, at the top right, applies what you changed.
Link: https://app.commentwatchdog.com/en/inbox (Open the app)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation.en.webp (Hide or Delete at the end of each rule.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Each enabled rule shows the action it will take on a match.
Step 2 of 3: Choose Hide for anything you might want back.
Where: Hiding keeps the comment visible to its author and their friends and removes it for everyone else. Neither platform tells the person. It suits criticism, competitor mentions and anything borderline.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation.en.webp (Hide, for anything you might want back.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Matches arrive hidden, greyed in the inbox with the rule named, and Unhide brings them back.
Step 3 of 3: Choose Delete only for the obvious.
Where: Deleting removes the comment from the platform. Use it for link spam, contact-detail scams and impersonators, where nobody will ever want it back. A note under the list of rules says plainly that deleting is permanent.
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation.en.webp (Delete, on Impersonators.)
Screenshot: https://commentwatchdog.com/media/shots/moderation-imp-phone.en.webp (The same on a phone.)
You should see: Matches are removed from the post and listed in the Bin with the rule that deleted them.
If something is off
Problem: I set Delete and want it back
Fix: Deleted comments cannot be recovered. Change the rule to Hide; from then on matches are hidden instead.
Problem: Deleting is failing on some comments
Fix: Meta refuses deletion on some comments, for example under an ad that has stopped running. The row keeps the reason.
Problem: I want different actions for different pages
Fix: The action belongs to the rule on that page. Set each page as you want it, or apply one page to the others and adjust.
Problem: Everything is being deleted
Fix: Several rules are set to Delete. Set each one back to Hide at the end of its row, keep Delete only on the rules that deserve it, and press Save.
Common questions
Question: Does the person know when their comment is hidden?
Answer: No. A hidden comment stays visible to its author and their friends and disappears for everyone else, and neither Facebook nor Instagram tells the person. Deleting is different: it removes the comment from the platform and the author can see it is gone.
Question: Can I undo a hide later?
Answer: Yes. Hide can be undone at any time: matches arrive hidden, greyed in the inbox with the rule named, and Unhide brings them back. Delete cannot be undone, on either platform, by anyone.
Question: Where do deleted comments go?
Answer: Deleted comments are removed from the post and listed in the Bin in the inbox, with the rule that deleted them, so the record stays even though the comment itself cannot be recovered.
Question: What does a rule do by default when it matches?
Answer: It hides. Hide is the safe default, and every rule except Hide all comments carries its own Hide and Delete choice at the end of its row on the Moderation tab.
Related guides
The twelve rules, one by one: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/the-twelve-rules-one-by-one
Which rule caught a comment: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/which-rule-caught-a-comment
Copy your rules to other pages: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/copy-your-rules-to-other-pages
Plain text of this guide: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/moderation-rules/hide-or-delete-per-rule.md
All guides for assistants: https://commentwatchdog.com/help/llms.txt